Is the City of St. Louis really that dangerous? (Lincoln: crimes, how much)

[BioMechanical]

I've got family that have lived in this city for over 60 years, and they still talk like they did the day they left the country

[NaturalARMO]

I have never heard of Hooisers used to describe anybody in Missouri before. Hooisers is a term used for people living in Indiana or talking about Indiana University Basketball.

In St. Louis, Hooisers mean the working class to poor people who may seem to be white trash while rednecks are rural people who live further away from the core of St. Louis Metro, right?

In Northeast Arkansas where I am from, rednecks are mostly people who embrace their southern heritage by wearing Dixie shirts and proudly display their rebel/Confederate flags or bumper stickers on big muddy trucks. Many can be racist. I cannot stand this group of rednecks but rural/country folks are good. Are there any neighborhood or suburb in St. Louis Metro with high prevalence of rednecks like this that I should avoid?

[Caesarstl]

Originally Posted by topospace

Did you actually read what you just posted? Go to the very bottom and do you notice this?

A negative score (in parentheses) indicates a
composite crime number below the national rate, a positive number is above the national rate.


Now notice St. Louis' score of 20.33. How is that much, much safer than average as a metro area?

Okay St. Louis homers, fire away!

Maybe you don't get the point, St. Louis gets beat on pretty bad for its crime image, and as that list shows there are a lot of major metro areas more dangerous than St. Louis. Above the national average, yep! There is a crime problem in St. Louis. One of the most dangerous places in the country? Uh...no, not at all! But, it still gets all of the negative press from trash like Forbes "lists" that people don't understand.

Btw, you noticed St. Louis is right next to LA County on the list, right?

[marigolds6]

Originally Posted by topospace

Huh? The other asterisk?

You make it sound like the people creating the ratings intentionally left out larceny because St. Louis has low larceny rates (according to you). You might want to remove your tin foil hat. St. Louis might also have the lowest rate of jaywalking infractions in the nation. They probably left that out too so it makes St. Louis look bad.

They intentionally left out larceny because larceny causes suburban dominated metros to show up much higher in the rankings. Theft from motor vehicle is just a sub class of larceny, but they included that to bump up the ratings of urban core dominated metros. Having urban core cities show up higher in the rankings is better for generating controversy and readership.
CQ/Quito Press has always known their ratings are deeply flawed and adjusts those ratings in ways to get the results they want.

[topospace]

Originally Posted by Caesarstl

Maybe you don't get the point, St. Louis gets beat on pretty bad for its crime image, and as that list shows there are a lot of major metro areas more dangerous than St. Louis. Above the national average, yep! There is a crime problem in St. Louis. One of the most dangerous places in the country? Uh...no, not at all! But, it still gets all of the negative press from trash like Forbes "lists" that people don't understand.

Btw, you noticed St. Louis is right next to LA County on the list, right?

I did. Did you notice where the greater Los Angeles area is ranked on the list? That would be comparable to the St. Louis MSA, not LA County. It's much "safer" than the St. Louis MSA. Nice try though.

[topospace]

Originally Posted by marigolds6

They intentionally left out larceny because larceny causes suburban dominated metros to show up much higher in the rankings. Theft from motor vehicle is just a sub class of larceny, but they included that to bump up the ratings of urban core dominated metros. Having urban core cities show up higher in the rankings is better for generating controversy and readership.
CQ/Quito Press has always known their ratings are deeply flawed and adjusts those ratings in ways to get the results they want.

I know and the US government was also responsible for the 911 attacks!!!!!!!!
Seen any aliens lately?

[Caesarstl]

Originally Posted by topospace

I did. Did you notice where the greater Los Angeles area is ranked on the list? That would be comparable to the St. Louis MSA, not LA County. It's much "safer" than the St. Louis MSA. Nice try though.

It wasn't a "try," but if it was you did just prove my point and so many other people's when discussing lists and where St. Louis, and other cities fall, so... thanks.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by marigolds6

They intentionally left out larceny because larceny causes suburban dominated metros to show up much higher in the rankings. Theft from motor vehicle is just a sub class of larceny, but they included that to bump up the ratings of urban core dominated metros. Having urban core cities show up higher in the rankings is better for generating controversy and readership.
CQ/Quito Press has always known their ratings are deeply flawed and adjusts those ratings in ways to get the results they want.

I'm guessing mayor Slay is relieved that car thefts aren't including in these rankings, because St. Louis city has an extremely high rate of car thefts last I heard.

[zach_33]

I am fully aware that the list is imperfect and that meaningful comparisons cannot be made between cities (a city with a score of 20 isn't twice as dangerous as a city with a score of 10, obviously). So recognizing that, who can explain what's happening in these smaller MSA's near the top of the list like Jackson TN and Lawton OK? Flint, Stockton, Pine Bluff - these towns are all well documented for having extreme poverty and strong associations with crime, but Danville IL? What gives? A couple of shootouts at the truck stop off I-74? Local teens go on a spray painting rampage?

[marigolds6]

Originally Posted by MUTGR

I'm guessing mayor Slay is relieved that car thefts aren't including in these rankings, because St. Louis city has an extremely high rate of car thefts last I heard.

Car thefts are included.
As I mentioned, this is part of the bias that CQ intentionally puts into their rankings.